Spindle construction



Aug; 1934- A. G. LYONS El AL 1,970,758

SPINDLE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 29, 1932 INVENTORS -A111fhur' E. I 1. EITLE- William H. ETEII'ETTI Patented Aug. 21, 1934 SPINDLE CONSTRUCTION Arthur G. Lyons, Pennside, and William H. Sterrett, Reading, Pa., assignors to Reading Hard ware Corporation, Reading, Pa., a corporation Application July 29, 1932,-Serial No. 625,928 4 Claims. (01. 292-358) This invention relates to improvements in lock constructionsl l The primary object of this invention is the provision ofan improved compensating door knob spindle which will permit eflicient operation of a lock bolt notwithstanding the lock or knob associated parts of the lock assemblage are inaccurately placed relative to each other or relative to "the door.

1 In the use of mortise locks in doors or other I invention to provide animproved spindle construction which will permit of efficientlatch bolt actuation without binding of the parts.

- A, furtherobject" of the invention is the provision of an improved lock spindle construction 3 consisting of spindle ends having a universal joint connection, so as to permit eilicient latch bolt actuation, and thus eliminate binding of parts ordif narily due to incorrect placement of the lock case or trim as a result of carelessness. v

f Other objects and advantages of this invention ing detailed description.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part oi this specification, and wherein similarreferwill be'apparent during the course of the follow- 5 mice characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, v

Figure 1. is a cross sectional view taken through part of'a doorshowing a lock case mortised in the door atan angle with respect to placement of 9 "the escutcheon plates. or roses, and showing the improved spindle construction, by means of which the partsin such association will permit of proper knobac'tuaticn oi the latch bolt without binding of parts. i

Figure 2 is aview of the parts shown in Figure 1, but with a different arrangement, such as very oftenbccurs in practice, showing one of the roses or' escutcheon plates out of alignment with the "roll back hub; the improvedspindle construction illustrating how the lock may be efficiently assembled and operated. I

Figure-3 is a fragmentary plan view of the inter- ;mediate portion of the improved lock spindle :showing the universal joint connection of, the

- spindle. ends.

or permit a binding of the door knob on the Figures 4 and 5 are sectional'views taken on their respective lines in Figure 3 of the drawing.

Figure 6 is a perspective view showing the construction of each of the spindle ends, wherelthe same are adjacently associated in a universal joint connection with a ferrule.

In the drawing, wherein for the purpose ofillustration is shown only a preferred embodimentof the invention, the letter A may generally designate a mortise type of lock adapted to be received in a mortised relation within a door or other closure B. The improved spindle C is associated with the roll back hub parts of the lock A and adapted for assemblage with the usual escutcheon plates or roses D and knobs E.

The lock A is of usual construction, includ ing a case 10, ordinarily of rectangular shape, having a bolt 11 therein, usually spring actuated, and having aroll back construction including hub parts 12 adapted to receive a knob spindle in order to control retraction of the bolt 11. 7

As shown in Figure 1 the carpenter will sometimes mortise the socket 14 at an angle-to the inner and outer faces of the closure B. This occurs either as a result of carelessness of the carpenter, or sometimes as a result of placing the socket 14 at a right angle to the beveled edge 15 of the door or closure, as shown in Figure 1. Under such circumstances, where the conventional one-piece spindle is used, it is quite impossible to accurately align the escutcheon plates or roses and place the knobs efficiently so that binding of the parts will not occur.

As shown in Figure 2 of the drawing, the door B will very often be mortised correctly at 14' to receive the lock case, but the carpenter will inaccurately place one of the escutcheon plates or roses D sothat the spindle will bind thereon plate or rose; V

The improved spindle construction C permits of proper assemblage of the lock case and actuating parts notwithstanding careless mortising section,"so that the knobs E may be slippedtherein and keyed thereto as by screws ,or other means J1 square. cross 'therethrough and open atthe ends of the feris circular.

22, so that turning of the knob E will result in turning of the spindle parts 20 and 21.

The spindle parts 20 and 21 are relatively connected by means which we prefer to designate as a universal joint connection, illustrated generally at 25, which will permit of relative angular motion of the spindle parts 20 and 21 in all directions, and permit of impartation of rotary motion to one of the spindle parts upon rotation of the other part. We are well aware that it has heretofore been proposed to swivelly connect two spindle parts, but such connection is not of the universal joint type, since the spindle parts are independently rotatable and do not possess the characteristic of the improved spindle of simultaneous rotary motion of the spindle parts when one or the other of the spindle parts is rotated.

Our preferred universal joint connection of the spindle parts preferably consists in providing a square or-other polygonal shaped ferrule or me-- tallic sleeve 28 which is of a nature to removably fit snugly, in the hub sockets of the roll backparts 12 .so that there will be no relative lost movement of the ferrule within the hub parts 12. This ,ferrule '28 is provided-with a section passageway extending rule, wherein the reduced tapered polygonal shaped adjacent ends of the spindle parts 20 and 21 are swivelly keyed to the sleeve or fer- :rule 28. It will be noted that the ferrule outer surfaces are flush with the outer surfaces of the spindle parts 20 and21, so as to permit facile slipping ofthe entire spindle through the rollback hub into proper position. That is, the-ferrule'is-purposely made'of small cross-section.

The reduced end 30 of each of the spindle parts 20 and '21 is tapered divergently from its connection at the end of the spindle part to the outer end surface thereof. Surrounding its connection with the spindle part is a shoulder 31, and at this connection'the reduced extension From this connection, however, the diametrically opposed sides of the reduced extension are flattened and tapered divergently to the free end of the extension where the same 'is square in section, as shown in Figure 6. Each of the reduced extensions 30 is transversely aper tured at 34-and receives a connecting pin- 35, the ends of which project beyond the outer flat surfaces of the opposite sides-0f the extension. The reduced extensions 30 of the spindle parts apertures 34 with'the openings 40 the pins 35 are'driven into place in the apertures 34 so that the I projecting ends of thepins 35 loosely project into the openings 40 of the ferrule; their outer ends'lying flush with the outer sides of the ferrule, as will be noted from Figure 5 of the drawing.

The pins 35 fit with a forced or driven fit in the passageways'34 of the spindle parts,

so that the assemblage shown in Figure 5 will be maintained. g

"It will be noted that the head ends33' of the l pie d spindle extension 30 are of the "same size as the inner'crosssection of'theferrule pasin all directions. rotate-together, and cannot rotate relative to .ure 2.

sageway. Thus, during turning movement of the knob the strain will be imparted from the spindle end 33 directly to the ferrule, and no shearing effect whatsoever will be placed upon the projecting ends of the pins 35.

It will be apparent from the foregoing assemblagethat due to thetapering of the spindle extension 35 and the loose fitting of the pin ends in the openings 40, each spindle part 20 and 21 will have an angular movement relative to the end of the ferrule within which it is assembled, The spindle parts 20 and 21 each other. Thus, they are connected much in the same manner as usual shaft parts are connected with a universal joint. It will be apparent that with such an arrangement the spindle ends'may swivel independently at opposite sides yOf the-Plane of the lock case so that notwithstanding the lock case is incorrectly mortised in the door the spindle ends may be correctly aligned in normal relation to the respective surfaces of the door from whichth'ey'extend. is also a real advantage in permitting the spindle ends to extend through misaligned escutcheon plates and spindle openings in the door'without defacing. the door. This condition is'shown in Fig- In assemblage of parts the ferrule 28 fits snugly in the'hub'parts 12, as shown-in-Figure 1; The spindle parts 20 and 21 may assume a position where thesame are out of alignment with respect to the axis ofthe ferrule 28 and the axisofthe hub parts 12, and yetpermit of an efiicient and neat assemblage of lock parts, wherein there will be no binding during operation. That is also true of the assemblage; in Figure 2,- although in this instance the knob cannot be assembled as neatly as desired'with respect to the rose D. There will, however, be no binding of parts as to interfere with lock bolt 'actuation- Various changes in theshape, size, and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit-ofthe invention or the .scope of the claims.

Weclaim: n 1. Asan article of manufacture a. spindle construction for locks comprising a pair of spindle parts'of substantially uniform polygonal crosssection, and a universal joint swivelly connecting said parts together so that they may be angularly moved relative to each other, and rotation of one impart rotation to theother. part, said joint in cross section being polygonal. and of substantially the same cross-sectional dimensions as each of the spindle parts.

2. In a lock spindle constructionthe combination of a pair of knob attaching spindle-parts elongated and polygonal in cross section, a rollback hub'connecting member of polygonal crosssection, and means keying said spindle-parts at opposite ends of the said member inindependent pivoted relation thereon so that the said'spindle parts may be angularly moved into and out'of aligning relation with respect to each other and with-respect to the said member, the outer surfaces of said member when the spindle parts are in axialalignment therewith being substantially flush and contiguous, with the adjacent surfaces ofsaid spindle parts from one end of the spindle construction to the otheriend thereof.

.3. In a lock mechanism the combinationof a lock mechanism including 'a. bolt actuating a sleeve removably keyed in non-tiltable fashion in the roll back hub and spindle parts having their ends swivelly mounted in the sleeve at opposite ends of the ferrule in rotatably keyed relation with the sleeve, said spindle parts being of such cross sectional dimension that the same may be slipped together with the sleeve through the roll back hub.

ARTHUR G. LYONS.

WILLIAM H. STERRETT. 

